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School’s Out Forever? COVID-19 Spurs Cities to Ditch Class, Opens Door for Education

Los Angeles, San Diego, and Atlanta, school districts announce they’ll ditch in-person instruction this fall over COVID-19 fears. What effect will online-only classes have on the nation’s hidebound union-controlled K-12 learning institutions?

Los Angeles, San Diego, and Atlanta, school districts announce they’ll ditch in-person instruction this fall over COVID-19 fears. What effect will online-only classes have on the nation’s hidebound union-controlled K-12 learning institutions? While the media portrays the district decisions as a slap in the face to President Trump, should Education Secretary Betsy Devos roll with it and seize a moment that opens the door for actual education?

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Bill Whittle Network · School's Out Forever? COVID-19 Spurs Cities to Ditch Class, Opens Door for Education

22 replies on “School’s Out Forever? COVID-19 Spurs Cities to Ditch Class, Opens Door for Education”

First, allow me to assure you that collectivism is alive and well in public schools. My district has been called out by Glenn Beck for it’s Black Lives Matter curriculum, and the New York Times is the only sponsored primary news source the district gives us.

Second, the new school year is going to be a challenge for many, many reasons. We will be on a 3 week rotation–students split into 3 groups–one week in person instruction, two weeks at home.

Additionally, when students do come to school, their temps will be taken, masks and 6 ft social distancing will be mandatory–even while walking in the halls to change classes. All desks will be at least 6 ft apart. Masks will be mandatory for staff also, and we will be subject to the same health standards (no fever, etc).

We also have offered a Virtual Academy, with remote learning 100% of the time.

It is going to be absolutely insane.

I thought you were getting out last year? Or was I mistaken?
Insane will be an understatement. Elementary aged don’t understand the concept of social distancing and high school aged want anything other than distancing.
Watch for the push for year round school to pick up to make up the “lost” time.

Regarding socialization happening in schools….
There is probably some of that going on, with various kids from various backgrounds packed together, but for the most part they’re interacting with people of differing ages.
Kids homeschooled and doing activities out and about will interact with a variety of people and be able to observe a variety, not just their classmate fellow children and the artificial interaction of teachers with other teachers (sanitized for the students) or rarely interactions with faculty and staff in the administration offices.
This was one of the other advantages of kids having jobs after school, not just to build a work ethic and get experience but the social interaction with people from a variety of walks of life, ages and backgrounds.

I have an additional take on this. Me and my wife are heavily invested in education. We are Presidents of a local homeschooling association. We have raised seven children, and our youngest will be a senior this year. My wife and I are dedicated Christians, dedicated conservatives, and we have raised our kids with a Christian conservative world view. We have been married 29 years. When we begin this journey 25+ years ago, our oldest kids attended public school for the first couple of years of their education. It was a horrific disaster even back then. This begin our homeschooling quest. We started out attending a local small homeschool group which has blossomed into a medium sized organization (about 200 families involved and almost 400 students). And we have risen through it’s leadership to our current position. We have seen an EXPLOSION in the interest in homeschooling and private schooling and Christian schools and online education options. I think a lot of parents see the dumpster fire public education has become and are looking for alternatives before their kids get indoctrinated.

Does anyone remember the Boy’s and Girl’s Club ads with Denzel Washington? It started with a school bell ringing and the voice over was about how kids just wandered around after school because no one was home. Asked for funding for B&G Club so that kids would have a safe place to go after school. Now we are forcing kids to be on their own all the time.
This will end very badly. Watch for a spike in gang affiliation. Along with de-funding the police it should go swimmingly.

Local experience has a significant percentage of kids that NEVER logged on after March 12th when all the schools closed. Difficult to enforce. I think they need to be back in school. IMHO

Wouldn’t this “only” online program spur parents to find other schools such as church schools (from kinder to 6th grade for example). Our church academy has been teaching children a grade appropriate program for several years. So if no classrooms will open in public schools—-go find private ones who will be open.
Bill made a good point about online classes and parents being able to monitor what is being taught. When TPTB figure that out, who thinks there’ll be a sudden return to the classroom—Wuhan virus suddenly not that important!!!

Very good points. There’s also the physical support aspect of this because for some kids the only good meal they get in a day is the one they get in school at lunch time. Then you have the latchkey kids who cannot be left at home all day to learn online but need to attend a physical school because that’s the “daycare” they need and parents can’t afford anything else. So …

I urge people to donate to and support financially any and all “other school” options. It would be a great idea for these other schools and their supporters to begin scholarship programs so that deserving kids in need can attend these other schools.

My kids went to a parochial school (Lutheran) for the 1st 8 years of their school careers and it made a world of difference in the outcome of their lives.

Support your local “other school”.

I will say that when Gov Jolson closed the schools in VA, our system did use the buses to bring lunches home to kids. Started almost immediately.
Maybe one of the distinct advantages of relatively small town living. The county is less than 100k.

Isn’t Ralph Northam the Governor of Virginia? Or are you referring to another time and not the Kung Flu situation?

Yes, he is. I started calling him Gov Jolson many months ago in reference to his blackface photo from med school. I get a chuckle out of it even if few get the joke.

Ah, Roger that. I live in VA also, near SEAL Team 6, if you know where they are. I have a buddy who has a cabin up in Nelson County and go there whenever I get the chance. Beach, ocean and salt water fishing down here; woods, mountains (small ones), wildlife, peace and quiet up there plus a two acre pond with citation class bass in it. The best of all possible worlds, if we could shuck Richmond and Northern VA.

This info comes from a low income district 6th grade teacher with six or so years of experience. Distance learning public elementary education is a failure from the start. Many of these children have no adult supervision or encouragement, this includes during the summer. Their parents typically both work or could care less. Many have no home internet access. Typical class on line attendance is 5 or 6 out of about 25. Assignments are not completed and monitoring attention of students is not realistically possible. Virtually no learning is occurring and passing grades are mandated in the interest of “fairness.” No standardized testing is being done.
Regarding home schooling: info from a mom who has/is teaching four and has done since 2005. Not for the faint of heart or a working parent. Highly successful with results well above grade level. Oldest has completed first year in engineering at Georgia Tech on honor roll with one class grade of less than “A”. This is not a solution for all, but for those willing to make the commitment, there is an abundance for support and materials. A local home schooling association/cooperative is extremely helpful. Choose you teaching materials carefully as the progressive propaganda is common.
Thomas Sowell is highly supportive of school choice and charter schools.

My wife taught for 30+ years in a low income area. Very rural and mostly poor. She would heartily agree with your statements, especially these.
Many of these children have no adult supervision or encouragement, this includes during the summer. Their parents typically both work or could care less.
She would add that there are frequently not two parents. She is very happy that she already retired.

I am so happy I am retired from elementary school teaching, too. It will be a nightmare every day.

My daughter is an Elementary School teacher (12 years) some in a major city but most in a smaller town of just under 25000. The town she is now was a settling point for a large number of immigrants that were brought into the US. Her classes typically a high (more than 2/3) minority. From what I gather her experience closely resembles yours. Another issue she mentions is there are a number of parents who do not speak English so the school district needs to employ translators (Spanish and Somali) for things like conferences, needed phone calls home and parent communication. The issue with passing kids on grade to grade with a lack of skills is huge and a horribly failed approach which will catch up with society. The home environments some of these kids come out of (drug abuse, physical abuse, etc) are absolutely disgusting. God Bless the teachers, you folks have some of the most emotionally challenging and important work there is.

One of the interesting things I see happening is that some older teachers who were contemplating retirement and don’t want to do on-line teaching are retiring instead. This could lead to a shortage. However, the other thing that might happen is real school choice.
If I am a parent of an inner city kid who can’t afford private school, why can’t my kid do on-line public school at any school in that city? Or another locality? The incremental cost of an on-line student is almost nothing.
This could bring about real school choice, including colleges.
I am now paying full tuition for my child to take 4 out of 5 classes remotely at her university.

I’ve got to question your D&D credit, Scott. Simple math tells you that getting a 1 in 3 outcome can easily be derived on a roll of 1d6 or 1d12. And if you’re willing to accept a 1% null, a roll of 2d10 will work.
Good Lordy, I haven’t played in over 30 years. How do I still remember useless crud like this?

I had actually apologized on a recent thread for lumping Bill in with D&D role players just because he was a theatre major. And here is a couple days later outing himself.

How do I still remember useless crud like this?

It’s useless crud — that’s how. I have a theory that the human brain is designed for such retention.

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